Twice Born

Premio Campiello 2009

Twice Born is a major motion picture directed by Sergio Castellitto, starring Penélope Cruz and Emile Hirsch

“Mazzantini’s haunting novel, beautifully written and skillfully crafted, proves that despite the hatred exposed by war, love persists, and even flourishes.”
Publishers Weekly (full review)

Twice Born is painted on a very broad canvas, a story that strikes universal chords.”
Irish Times (full article)

An international bestseller, a sweeping portrait of motherhood, loss and redemption.

Haunted by memories of Sarajevo’s four-year siege, Gemma reluctantly boards a flight from her native Rome to the war-scarred city with her sixteen-year-old son, Pietro. She hopes to teach Pietro about the city of his birth—and also about Diego, the father he never knew. Once in Sarajevo, however, Gemma is caught between the present and the past, and in her mind relives her love affair with Diego, their determination to start a family, and their deep connection to Sarajevo even under the looming threat of war.
In this haunting and sophisticated novel, Mazzantini masterfully probes the startling emotional territory of what makes a family—in particular what it is to be a mother. As the fate of Sarajevo converges with Gemma’s all-consuming desire to have a child, we learn just how strong and driven she really is, especially as she endures an astonishing revelation that is both heartbreaking and cathartic.

Details +

Publication date: 25.11.2008
Publisher: Mondadori
Number of Pages: 540
Country: Italy

Editions +
Twice Born (paperback movie tie-in) Mondadori
Italy
30 October 2012
I ardhur ne jete Ombra
Albania
31 December 2009
Ponovo roden Buybook
Bosnia
1 November 2013
A rosa de Sarajevo Companhia das Letras
Brazil
1 January 2011
Da dojdesh na sveta Colibri
Bulgaria
3 September 2012
Napokon rođen Algoritam
Croatia
1 July 2011
Venir au monde (paperback) 10/18
France
1 June 2011
Venir au monde Robert Laffont
France
1 March 2010
Das schönste Wort der Welt Dumont Buchverlag
Germany
24 October 2011
Újjászületés Cartaphilus
Hungary
1 December 2012
Ba Lewlm Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir
Israel
6 June 2011
ПОВТОРНО РОДЕН Antolog
Macedonia
1 June 2019
Powtórnie narodzony Wydawnictwo Sonia Draga
Poland
1 November 2013
Vir ao mundo Bertrand editora
Portugal
1 January 2011
Venit pe lume Polirom
Romania
1 January 2010
Rozhdyenniy dvazhdi Azbooka
Russia
31 December 2012
Ipak roden BeoBook
Serbia
31 December 2010
Novorojen Mladinska Knjiga Založba
Slovenia
1 May 2012
Volver a nacer (new edition) DeBolsillo
Spain
31 December 2013
La palabra más hermosa, paperback DeBolsillo
Spain
1 January 2011
La palabra más hermosa Lumen
Spain
2 October 2009
La paraula més bella Rosa dels Vents
Spain (Catalan)
3 September 2010
Ter Wereld Gemoken Ter Wereld Gemoken
The Netherlands
19 November 2014
Sen Dünyaya Gelmeden Doğan Kitap
Turkey
1 November 2010
Twice Born Oneworld Publications
UK
1 April 2012
Twice Born Penguin
US
1 November 2013
Twice Born Viking Penguin
US
12 May 2011
Foreign rights +

Foreign rights sold in

Albania: Ombra
Argentina: Lumen
Bosnia: Buybook
Brazil: Companhia das Letras
Bulgaria: Colibri
Colombia: Lumen
Croatia: Algoritam
France: Robert Laffont, 10/18
Germany: DuMont
Hungary: Cartaphilus
Israel: Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir
Latvia: Apgads Atena
Mexico: Grijalbo
The Netherlands: Wereldbibliotheek
Poland: Sonia Draga
Portugal: Bertrand
Romania: Polirom
Russia: Azbooka
Serbia: BeoBook
Slovakia: Inaque
Slovenia: Mladinska Knjiga Zalozba
Spain (Castillan): Lumen, DeBolsillo
Spain (Catalan): Rosa dels Vents
Turkey: Doğan Kitap
UK: OneWorld
US: Viking Penguin

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Rosaria Carpinelli
Consulenze Editoriali

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